“Share even closer cuddles with your furry one with the Merrick Fresh Kisses Double-Brush Mint Breath Strips Dental Dog Treats. This uniquely designed treat has a double-brush action and a special blend of alfalfa extract and natural spearmint oil to help keep teeth clean, fight plaque and tartar, and freshen breath. It’s packed with fresh breath strip pieces throughout for an extra boost of freshness with every bite. The grain-free formula is easily digestible since it’s made with natural peas and gelatin with no potatoes or anything artificial. These delicious treats are safely cooked in the USA without any grains, gluten, corn, soy, or artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.”

We chose the medium size for us since they are rated for dogs from 25-50 lbs. Both of us are right at the top of that range so we could have picked the large size too.

They look like tooth brushes!

Usually we get to try more than one treat during our taste tests but since these are recommended to only have one per day that was all we had.

Those are big treats!

I can’t wait to try them.

We finally got to try one each.

The wait is the hardest part

Take a look at our video that we took. You sure can see how much we loved these treats.

Disclaimer: As #ChewyInfluencers we received one bag of Merrick Fresh Kisses Dental Dog Treats from Chewy.com to review. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and will receive no additional benefits for barking about the product or the company. The opinions in this review are the honest opinions of ours.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! It’s Millie and Walter here. We are joining our friends and have hopped on the Blogville Pawty Plane for a Valentine’s Day trip to Paris!

We are double dating with Walter’s girl Tuiren and her brother Fenris. After we landed in Paris each couple had different plans on how we wanted to spend our time. Millie and Fenris started out their day with a nice lunch on a rooftop terrace and then finished the day with a moonlight stroll around the city. Here is the postcard Millie & Fenris sent home.

Walter and Tuiren had different plans and went straight to the Eiffel Tower where we enjoyed running up and down all those steps. We worked up quite an appetite so we finished the night with a romantic gourmet dinner where we could see the Eiffel Tower all lit up. Here is Walter and Tuiren’s postcard home.

Millie was blushing when we got back on the plane to go home so we think Fenris might have stolen a kiss along the way. Tuiren was a little nervous when the plane took off so Walter sat next to her so he could hold her paw.

We all had a great time and just wish we could have spent more time there. Maybe some other time we will all go for a longer visit. Be sure to stop by the Postcards From Paris blog hop that Mayor Arty has organized to see all the fun everyone had.

Hi everyone! It’s Walter here. We live in an area where it snows almost every day. If it isn’t from a weather system moving through then it’s from lake effect. When you live on the south (or east) side of one of the Great Lakes you get to enjoy extra snow that most of the country doesn’t.

Millie and I have been enjoying ourselves playing in it almost every day.

I love to play with my Jolly Ball

My Jolly Ball lost its rope a long time ago but I still play with it. I use the hole where the rope was to grab it.

Sometimes I like to lick the snow off it too. Here is a video of some of my ball play and of me trying to catch snow balls that my dad tossed into the big pile of snow.

As you can see Millie was just watching me play and hunting for vermin under the snow.

We have this snow pile on our patio that our pawrents make for us to dig in. It’s snow much fun! Now I have a serious question for one of my special readers.

Miss Tuiren will you go to Paris with me next week for Valentine’s Day?

Miss Tuiren if you remember we were in Paris in 2014 for Date Day and I would love to take you back there next Wednesday for Valentine’s Day. There is going to be a blog hop where we can send a postcard to our friends to tell them all about our trip. We could even double date with Fenris and Millie if he wants to.

I sure hope she says yes! It’s snowing again today so Millie and I will be back outside playing.

Noah is a 6 month old boy with clubfoot. Clubfoot is a birth defect where one or both feet are rotated inwards and downwards.

Noah sitting with his boots and bar

The treatment for this involves surgeries and requires Noah to wear a pair of boots that are held apart by a bar. This treatment is supposed to last for about 4 years. His mom was hoping that having a little friend that also had to wear a set of boots and bar would help him on this journey.

Noah with his best friend Beans

Here is my version of the boots and bar. The boots are crocheted and the bar is made from plastic canvas that I covered in grey yarn by needlepoint. I sewed the boots to the bar and the straps of the boots have Velcro on them to close the straps so they can be taken on and off.

Noah lives in the Buffalo area and is a Bills and Sabres fan so I made a shirt for the doll with each of the teams logos. I didn’t want Beans to feel left out so I made a couple of matching bandanas for him and included a squeaky fire hydrant too.

I’m glad I have a sewing machine that can do embroidery. With the software I have I was able to digitize the logos I needed and make them as small as I could to fit on the doll clothes.

The most rewarding part about making these dolls is to see the pictures I get from the family after the doll has arrived.

Noah gives his Mini Me a hug

In this next picture Noah is checking out the dolls boots and bar that are just like his.

Your boots look just like mine!

These Bills fans are ready for next season

Even though the Sabres aren’t having the best season a boy and his dog can still root them on.

Noah’s mom was very appreciative and sent a lovely email thanking me for making this doll for her special boy.

Making Feel Better Friends dolls has been a great way to use my crochet skills for charity work. If you know of a child with medical problems that you think would benefit from having a Mini Me to help them you can visit the Feel Better Friends website to request a doll. I am assigned to the northeast USA but I think you can request a specific crafter if you would like.

“It’s natural for dogs to play with their food. Add a bit of fun to every bite with a Fun Feeder! Featuring meal-lengthening ridges and mazes, Fun Feeders keep pups engaged for up to 10 times longer at chow time.”

The regular size purple feeder has a pretty flower design

I don’t know about you but I don’t play with my food. I just eat it. My mom was happy to be able to try this bowl out because she says I eat too fast. I’ve never had any problems with eating fast but eating fast can cause pups to be more susceptible to bloat and some throw up if they eat too fast.

The best way to show you how it went is to show you the video of me using the bowl. In the video you will also see how I used to eat with a regular bowl.

As you could see in the video it took me much longer to eat using the Outward Hound Fun Feeder. Even with the easiest bowl I had lots of trouble getting the food out of the center part of the bowl so the next time my mom only put the food along the outer edge of the bow.

It’s a good thing my mom didn’t pick out either of the more difficult bowls. We think it might be because I have an under bite so it’s more difficult to reach where the dividers are the tallest. Take a look at this other video to see that it’s a little easier for me when the food isn’t in the center.

I’ve been using this bowl for every meal now. In the past Millie would get a head start on me because I always finished before she did (even with the head start). Now I start eating while Millie is still outside “doing her business” and she finishes before me now.

The Outward Hound Bowls are top rack dishwasher safe

This bowl is a little tougher to clean by hand but it is also top rack dishwasher safe. I have to give this bowl 4 paws up (because that is all the paws I have) and I recommend these bowls to all my friends.

Disclaimer: As #ChewyInfluencers we received one Outward Hound Fun Feeder Interactive Dog Bowl from Chewy.com to review. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and will receive no additional benefits for barking about the product or the company. The opinions in this review are the honest opinions of ours.

“With real beef as the first ingredient, nutrient-packed flaxseed, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes, and absolutely zero artificial flavors or preservatives, these wholesome dog treats will have your four-legged best friend begging to learn new tricks…And with no chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat or soy to worry about, these tasty beef sticks make for a perfectly guilt-free way to treat your furry family member.”

These treats are made in the USA too and we know how much we all appreciate that. You can see that the treats are segmented and since they are soft you can easily break them into smaller pieces…not that we recommend that though.

Look how big those treats are

I can’t wait to try those

Did those treats shrink?I think they are half the size they were just a minute ago

We finally got to try a couple of pieces. Our mom broke one of those sticks in half and that is what we got to taste.

The waiting is the hardest part

Take a look at our video that we took. You sure can see how much we loved these treats.

Disclaimer: As #ChewyInfluencers we received one bag of Blue Buffalo Blue Stix Beef Recipe Pepperoni-Style Dog Treats from Chewy.com to review. We did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and will receive no additional benefits for barking about the product or the company. The opinions in this review are the honest opinions of ours.

My first doll was for a “Little Boy M” that I can’t tell you much about or show any pictures of by request of his family. He is just under two years old and according to his bio loves dogs and cats.

I decided to make him a stuffed dog to go along with the doll.

The stuffed dog pattern is called “Patchwork Puppy” and is from the Crochet World April 2012 issue.

One of the things I found out since I did my test doll was that instead of making crochet eyes there was a machine embroidery that I could use. I love the way the eyes turned out and it’s so easy to make any color I need.

The hair for this doll was made using Knit Picks CotLin DK weight yarn that was first hooked into the scalp. To get the finer look to the hair I separated the strands of the yarn using a tapestry needle.

One of the challenges I had with this doll was that I wanted to sew his clothes so I could make an outfit similar to the one Little Boy M was wearing in the pictures I was sent. I downloaded the patterns from FBF but they were a bit too big for my doll. After a few attempts I finally had a pattern that would fit. The embroidery on his t-shirt is copied from the picture I had of Little Boy M.

I can tell you that Little Boy M and his family were very happy with their Feel Better Friend doll and his Patchwork Puppy.

My next FBF doll was for Viviauna a young girl with a variety of medical problems. I have permission from her mother to post her pictures.

Vivauna

Vivi’s doll

One of the challenges I had with this doll was that it is my first with a wig.

The elastic band holds the wig on.

My first attempt at the wig didn’t work out so well. The crocheted cap that I hooked the hair in became misshapen and I had to pull it all out and make a new cap. This time I made the cap a bit smaller and also put the hair in a little looser. As you can see it turned out great on my second attempt.

The reason this doll has a wig is because Viviauna is having surgery on her scull that will require all her hair to be shaved off. Along with the cute jumper I crocheted I also made a head band for the doll to wear when she has her wig off. I also added a scar like the one Viviauna will have after her procedure.

An ear to ear scar

To complete the items for Viviauna I added a head band for her to wear after her surgery.

Vivi’s doll with accessories

A few days after shipping off the doll with her accessories I received some pictures of her with her new friend.

I think her smile says it all.

Making Feel Better Friends dolls has been a great way to use my crochet skills for charity work. I already am well on my way to completing my next doll for a little boy. If you know of a child with medical problems that you think would benefit from having a Mini Me to help them you can visit the Feel Better Friends website to request a doll. I am assigned to the northeast USA but I think you can request a specific crafter if you would like.

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